Uncoupling device.



Patented May 18, 1915.

c. A. CAR S'C ADIN & e.,A.,w00DMAN.

UNCOUPLING mics. APPLICATION FILED-SEPT. 18, 1 912;

cHAn E s To all whom it mag/concern:

Be it known that-we, CHARLES CARSGA- DIN", and GEORGE A; WOODMAN, citizens of I thefUnited States, both residing at Chicago,

v'inoiinted on railway cars and adapted to be "in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, "have jointly 'invented certain new and useful Improvements in Uncoupling Devices, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention relates to improvements in uncoupling devices of that class Which are operated to release the locking pin of the coupler without requiring the brakeman to go between the cars.

1 .One-of-the principal objects of our invention is to utilize the operating rod at present 1com1nonly used and provide an uncoupling device comprising" parts adapted to be. readily assembled withsueh rod and 1nter-' locked so thts rreptitiousremoval thereof -'portant parts thereof, rendering the uncoupling device inoperative Particularly has this been true where these devices have incorporated in their construction chains,

links or clevises secured by cotter pins or similar means,- the removal of which re- ;quires'the' brakeman to enter between the .-cars to couple or uncouple' them at great risk tions'of the railway commission;

- to himself and in violation ofthe regula- Our invention aims to overcome this and other disadvantages by -providing' an uncoupling' devicewherein all parts which can -Further aims and advantages of our in-- flventionfwill be apparent as it is better-um.

' be' "easily and surreptitiously removed will be "eliniinated, andwhich at the same time can be readilyapplied .tofa car. and easily-Lop derstood from the following description which, taken in connection with the accom- 'pany ng'--drawmg,; discloses one preferred embodiment 1 thereof.

'On the'dij awing'zeFigure l'is atop plan "view-of a portion of a car and coupler provided with-an uncoupling device made in q pursuance of'our invention; Fig. 2 is affront fi elevatlon of the device SllOWIIlIl Fig; 1 with.

broken away; Fig. 3 is an end eleva' specificati o n of Letters Patent. 1

A. CARSCADIN AND enonen 'AL'WOODMAIU or ta d; frinnvofs; essraivons 'oronn-mnmnro RAYMOND c. DUDLEY,- or cnrcaeo; I L noIs. a 1

UNCOUPLING DEVICE.

tion of the said device looking toward the left in F ig. 2 shown partially in section; Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the extensible member with the hook broken away; Fig.

5 is a partial sectional view of the same member taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4,

Fig. 6 is a transversefsectional view taken on the line 66 of Fig. 5, and Figs. 7 and 8 are detail views illustrating another form of the invention- I To'reduce the cost and simplify the installation we prefer to employ the operating rod commonly used at the present time and v PatentedMay18, 1915. Appl ication filed September 18, 1912; seri lnareas ss,

the other parts of our invention. have been constructed for ready connection therewith. The invention comprises broadly an operating rod 10 andan extensible member 11 connecting the operating rod with the locking pin of the coupler. The rod 10 is preferably composed of a single member having a central main portion 12 adapted to be pivotally secured in brackets 13 to a car end and having its ends bent at right angles to 1 each other and to the main portion to provide an operating handle-let and an elevating arm 15. The outer end of the arm 15 is provided withaanieyef-l6wjfrom which is suspended the extensiblemember 11.; This member is composed of two partsynamely an upper hollow sleeve .el7 and an eye-rod 18 which is adapted to be connected to and operate the locking .pin the coupler 21. The'sleeve 17 is provided at'iitstop with an integral hook 22 adapted to .fit within the eye'16 and having its endr23 disposed downwardly in line with or below the top of the sleeve for. a purpose hereinafter described. The sleeve 17 is hollow and'prcferably open at its top. Atthebottomf of i-the'saidf sleeve are two inwardly extending "and oppositely disposed shoulders 24 providinga slot 25 therebetween, as shown in Fig. 8. Within the sleeye we also provide a plurality of inwardly disposed ribs 27which ma be variousl arran ed with res icct to a, lv

the shoulders 24, it only being necessary for the purposes of the invention that suifi, cient number of these ribs be provided and that they be. appropriately arranged. to prevent the removal of the eye-rod "by engaging lugs 34:} thereon, as willbe later described: Inthe present instance two of these ribs are provided, one ateach' sidefand at the same endbf the'slot, it being obvious,

that other arrangements, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The eye-rod 18 of the extensible member in the present instance has at its lower end anjeye 31, the extremity 32 of the portion of the rod forming the eye being spaced outwardly from the main body of the rod as shown in Fig. 3 to permit the said extremity to be inserted within the eye 33 of the locking pin of the coupler. At the upper end of the stem 29 are provided a pair of oppositely disposed out-' wardly extending lugs 34: approximately dimensioned to permit them to pass through the slot in the sleeve'.'.

In assembling the parts thus previously described the eye 31 on the rod 18 is engaged with the eye 33 of the locking pin to connect said parts loosely but securely together and then the upper end of the rod "is inserted within the sleeve 17 until the lngs 34 are disposed above the upper ends of the ribs 27. These ribs may extend to the top of the sleeve, as shown in the drawings, or, if preferred, they may terminate below the top of the'sleeve. The operating rod having previously been removedfrom the car the sleeve is then given a halfturn to either the right or the left and the end 23 of the hook 22 inserted within the eye 16, after which the rod is secured in position upon the end of the car. Inasmuch as the end 23 of the hook is disposed beneath the top of the sleeve 17 the sleeve cannot be disconnected from the lifting arm without first either disconnecting the rod 10 from the car end or removing the locking pinfrom the coupler. I

For purposes of security the parts are so proportioned that when a hook 22 is positioned within the eye 16 the operating rod and the upper end of the sleeve will he in such juxta-position that the eye-rod 18 cannot be projected upwardly through the sleeve sufliciently for the lugs 34 to clear the ribs, and as it is impossible to turn the rod in the sleeve without clearing the lugs from the ribs, the secure engagement of these parts is insured.

Although in the present instance the sleeve 17 is" described as being open vat its top, and the movement of the eye of the eye- -rod 18 "being limited when the parts are assembled by the end of the arm 15, it will be apparent that the upper end of the sleeve may be closed and the ribs 27 terminated a isufiicient distance beneath the closed end of the sleeve to permit the lugs 34 to pass therebetween without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention. In this case, however, it would not be necessary to withdraw the hook 22 fromthe eye 16 to permit the eyerod to be detached from the sleeve, but ordinarily the eye-rod could not be turned to permit the separation of said rod and the sleeve because the locking pin isl usually fixed against rotation in the coup er.

Instead of the hook 22 we may provide the sleeve 17 with an elongated slot 35 shaped to permit the sleeve to be slipped on the operating rod over the flattened end thereof by turning it to a horizontal position and then, after the sleeve has passed the flattened end of the rod, permitting it to swing downward into an upright position. The elongated slot. will accommodate the flattened end of the rod and the central portion of the slot is of a proper size to accommodate the rod back of the flattened end thereof and at the same time prevent the sleeve from slipping off the rod.

The slot 35is preferably provided in a web 36 which extends upwardly from the top of the sleeve. Such an arrangement requires that the sleeve be closed at its top and the ends of the ribs 27 terminate a suflicient distance beneath the, closure to permit the lugs 34 to pass between the ends of the ribs and the top or end wall of the sleeve.

It will beobvious that various changes may be resorted to in the arrangement and form of the parts without departing from the spirit or scope of our invention, or sacrificing an of its advantages, the form hereand interlockingly connecting it with said outwardly extending arm of the operating rod to permit relative oscillatory movement of the rod and member while preventing removal of the parts when the rod and member are secured respectively to the car and to the locking pin of the coupler.

2. An uncoupling device for railway cars comprising a rod having an arm extending outwardly therefrom and provided with an aperture, an extensible member formed of relatively rigid parts adapted for unrestrained relative movement, one of said parts being provided with an integral means for connecting it with the locking pin of v the coupler and the other of said parts being provided with an integral hook for engaging said aperture to permit relative oscillatory movement of said rod and member, the end of said hook being curved downwardly to prevent removal of the parts when said parts are mounted on a car in assembled relation.

3. An uncoupling device for railway cars comprising a rod adapted to be secured to the car and having an end disposed outwardly at right angles to the main portion of the rod, and a pair of rigid, loosely-enagged and interlocked telescoping elements,

means integral with one of said elements for interlockingly engaging the outwardly extending arm of the rod and means integral "with'the other of' said elements for interlockingly' engaging the locking pin ofthe coupler, all of said interlocking connections being separable-only when the coupling de vice is disconnected from the car or the locking pin fromthe coupler. I

4; An uncoupling device for railway cars, comprising a rod adapted to be secured to a car and having an arm extending outwardly fromthe main portion of the rod, a hollow member suspended from and interlocked with said arm, and an element havthe operating rod when theparts are in oping an end extending into said hollow member and detachable therefrom only upon relative rotary movement of said member and element, said element being connected to and held against rotary movement by the locking pin of the coupler.

5. An uncoupling device for railway cars comprising a 'rod adapted to be securedto a car and having an arm extending-outwardly from the main portion of the'rod, a hollow member connected with the end of said arm and detachable therefrom only upon rotary movement about the arm, an element formed at one endfor engagement with the' looking pin' of the-coupler and interlockingly engaged' within said hollow member at the other end, thereby holding said hollowmember, against rotation relatively to the arm of erative position.

' inserted I 6. An uncoupling device for railway cars comprising a rod having an arm extending outwardly therefrom, an extensible member formed of relatively rigid parts adapted for unrestrained relative movement, said parts comprising a hollow member having integral means for connecting same with said arm, an element formed at one end for engagement with the locking pin of thecoupler andprovided at the other end with a plurality of outwardly extending lugs, said last mentioned end being adapted to be within said hollow member, and

-means within the hollow member for preventing disconnection of said member and element except when the parts are in most contracted relation.

7 An uncoupling device for railway cars comprising a rod adapted to be secured to a car and having an end bent outwardly at right angles to the main portion of the rod, a hollowmember detachably suspended from and interlocked with the outwardly bent end of the rod and having shoulders at its bottom, an element adapted to be secured to the locking pin of the coupler and having outwardly extending lugs at its end adapted to pass between said shoulders when inserted in said hollow member and to engage said shoulders when the device is operated to lift the locking pin of the coupler, and means within said hollow member for preventing movement of said lugs from behind said shoulders throughout the normal relative movement of the parts in service.

8. An uncoupling device for railway cars comprising a rod adapted to be secured to a car and having an arm extending outwardly at right angles to the main portion of said rod, a hollow member loosely suspended from the end of the rod and having shoulders at its bottom, a pair of inwardly extending longitudinal ribs, an element adapted to be secured to the locking pin of the coupler and provided with outwardly extending retaining lugs adapted to pass between the shoulders and between said ribs throughout their length when the parts are assembled and'to engage behind said ribs and against said shoulders to telescopically connect said element and member.

9. An uncoupling device for railway cars comprising a rod adapted to be secured to a car end and havinga slotted end bent outwardly at right angles tothe 'main portion of the rod, and an extensible member having a Witnesses:

J. O. CARPENTER, M. A. KIDDIn; 

